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Johannesburg - Following a loss in their final game of the Absa Premiership season, Orlando Pirates coach Roger de Sa has called for a rise in the standard of officiating by top-flight referees.
Pirates had a penalty appeal turned down against Maritzburg United at Orlando Stadium on Saturday, and goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa was at the centre of a heated argument with officials after a goal line decision gave Maritzburg an equaliser with three minutes remaining in the match.
The visitors went on to win 3-2 in injury time and condemned the Buccaneers to their sixth defeat of their campaign, and third place in the final league standings. Maritzburg ended the season in 11th position.
"I don't think the officiating was great," De Sa said.
"If anything, both teams kept the officiating okay. It could have got out of hand -- if there was more to play for it could have been ugly.
"The players just kept it going and that was sad at this level."
De Sa suggested officials should be evaluated in a more transparent nature, and should be held more accountable for their decisions.
"There has to be a little bit of disclosure with the referees," he said.
"We don't know what the match commissioner wrote. Maybe the match commissioner said the referee today was outstanding.
"We don't know, nobody knows. You guys (the media) know when we drop players, coaches get fired, players get sold, everything. But they (referees) get in their car after the match and off they go.
"It's like a closed book, nobody knows what happens."
He believed more needed to be done to raise the standard of officiating in local football.
"In general, I don't think the standard is that good.
"The consistency is very poor. One week it's a handball the next week it isn't. That's the problem we have.
"We just want one set of rules. You don't get one set - the rules change from referee to referee.
"To me a tackle that breaks a leg is much worse than a chirp and a comment. Some referees, they send you off."
